FEMA puts Balfour’s expected hazard damage per building below that of 82% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Balfour gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 1989.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What Balfour faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Earthquakes
Tornadoes
Ice storms
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Balfour’s grade
River and rain flooding is 72% of the building damage FEMA expects in Balfour, and Balfour’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Ice storms add 6%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
A− lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Balfour’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $366K a year in losses across Balfour: $202K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Balfour flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 1989
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Balfour, from FEMA’s records: 20.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Helene4 claims · $479K
- Hurricane Michael1 claim · $63K
Balfour isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Henderson County.The storms Balfour remembers
None of the 13 disasters declared for Henderson County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Balfour itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20244 flood claims paidThe year of Tropical Storm Helene, declared for Henderson County
- 19913 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
- 20182 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Florence, declared for Henderson County
Henderson County has had 13 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Henderson County, 2016–2016.
Old photos of Balfour after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Balfour archive →Balfour and its neighbors
Balfour is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hendersonville | A−less damage than 84% | river and rain flooding | 213 |
| Balfour | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 12 |
| Mountain Home | B+less damage than 67% | river and rain flooding | 4 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Balfour faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Ice brings down trees and lines: plan for days without power.
- Run a generator outside, far from doors and windows.
- Keep sand or salt by the door.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Balfour
Is Balfour at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Balfour has lower expected damage per building than 82% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (72%) and earthquakes (9%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Balfour flood?
Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Balfour since 1989, $584K in all, or 20.5 per 1,000 homes, more than 84% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (4).
Is Balfour in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Henderson County, 44% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 1.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Balfour?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Balfour’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Balfour?
By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 4 paid, $479K.
Is Balfour at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (72%), and Balfour’s rate for it is lower than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Balfour.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Balfour’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.